


Shadows in the night

by Fandom_Dreamer



Category: Dynasty (TV 2017)
Genre: 3x06, Angst, Episode Related, F/M, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-06
Updated: 2020-07-06
Packaged: 2021-03-05 01:02:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,312
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25115854
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fandom_Dreamer/pseuds/Fandom_Dreamer
Summary: An extension to 3x06. Liam mulls over the things they've lost and Fallon struggles to adjust.
Relationships: Fallon Carrington/Liam Ridley
Comments: 14
Kudos: 53





	Shadows in the night

Liam lay quietly on the plush bed, trying his hardest to remain still so as to not disturb his bed partner. Fallon had fallen asleep almost an hour before, curled tightly into Liam’s side, her arm thrown over his bare stomach and head pillowed on his chest. Liam relished in the silky soft hair that every so often tickled his chin. His blood ran cold as he realised how close he had come to losing her forever, a thought that was now keeping him awake while Fallon slumbered on. 

His memory wasn’t completely returned but his feelings for Fallon were so strong, it now seemed incomprehensible that he’d forgotten them in the first place. Her own actions now made much more sense to him and the measures she’d used to try and recover his memory. His stomach twisted unpleasantly as he remembered how close he’d been to marrying Ashley, how he’d tried to bury his own confusion at the time to keep both her and his mother happy. His unconsciously tightened his grip on Fallon’s waist, but she didn’t stir. 

Liam wished he’d had the fairy-tale moment of clarity when he agreed to marry Ashley again, but the truth was he’d come perilously close to actually following through. Even when he pulled out of the wedding, it was only confusion that stopped him, not remembering the love of his life. Unfortunately, he could remember rejecting Fallon that evening, the raw devastation in her eyes as he’d called the character he’d written selfish and callous, as he’d basically accused her of being a narcissist. He silently vowed to never hurt her like that again. Ever. 

He carefully tilted his head so he could look down at her, scanning her face with a strange longing given that she was already in his arms. It was a longing for the time they’d lost, and not just to his amnesia but to everything that had kept them apart over the past year. Amid the continuing confusion there was one thing Liam was certain of, he wasn’t going to let Fallon go again. 

He pressed a feather-light kiss to the top of her head, closing his eyes as he breathed in the rose water scent he did know so well. He may not have known it in the hospital but even then, he knew he liked the smell, he just wasn’t sure why. He was still angry with his mother for trying to keep them apart, but it was yet again at war with the guilt he always felt when it came to his mother. She had tried to explain it to him, she’d said that he and Fallon were not well matched, and she was saving him from more inevitable heartbreak. Liam wanted to believe his mother just had a misguided take on his best interests at heart, but he was finding it harder to forgive her each time.

Fallon shifted slightly, a small sigh escaping her lips and tickling the bare skin of Liam’s chest. A small smile graced his face as he thought back to their earlier activities as Fallon made good on her promise to refresh his memory, several times over. It had been more than good but then it always was, from what he remembered anyway. One thing he did know was that he would never stop being amazed by Fallon and the person she was. For all the difficulties she’d faced and all the bravado she used as a mask, when it came down to it she had so much love to give, she just needed someone to give it to. Liam wanted to try every day to be worthy of it. He knew she thought the same about him, but Liam was convinced she had it wrong. He reserved a small section of hatred in the back of his mind for Blake and Alexis, for the childhood love they’d deprived her of. As difficult as his mother was now, his Dad had been a stalwart of love and affection in his life and his mother had been less, well, manipulative when he was still alive. Alexis and Blake Carrington, however, were a different breed of awful in his mind, although he’d never voice it around Fallon. He understood her need for approval better than anyone, and he knew he’d be there to support her no matter what happened. 

Liam found himself frowning as his thoughts changed track to the stranger who had accosted him at the restaurant the night before. He’d seen him again at the magazine launch but hadn’t had the chance yet to ask Fallon who he was; they’d preferred to spend their time getting reacquainted with each other’s bodies instead. He didn’t know why, but the man had made the hairs rise on the back of his neck even now. There was definitely something strange about him. Liam resolved to do some digging, if only in the hope that his suspicions would be proved incorrect. 

A sudden movement from Fallon broke his train of thought. He looked down again, concerned as her face was no longer peaceful but tense, her brow furrowed. Her hand tightened on his waist before her whole body twitched and a quiet whimper escaped her. Liam’s hand moved instinctively to her hair, stroking it in a calming gesture but her movements only intensified. 

“Liam” His name was barely distinguishable from her ill-defined mumble, but Liam still heard it.  
“Fal, wake up” Liam moved his other arm to her shoulder and shook her gently but it didn’t have much of an effect as Fallon’s face flinched. He could see the tiny hairs that graced her arms were all raised and her breathing had quickened.   
“Fallon.”  
He shook harder this time, rapidly becoming concerned as Fallon continued to twist on the bed, her leg suddenly kicking out.   
“NO.”

In a flash, Fallon’s eyes had snapped open and she was sitting bolt upright, breathing heavily. Her whole body was shaking and a light sheen of sweat had appeared across her forehead.   
“Hey, hey, you’re okay Fal.”   
Liam sat up barely a second after Fallon, but his soft voice barely registered with Fallon who was trying desperately to shake herself from the nightmare she’d been caught in. Liam went to gather her in his arms but she pulled away with a yelp, becoming tangled in the sheets which only served to distress her further. Liam knew what was about to happen a split second before it did, which wasn’t enough time to prevent Fallon from falling over the edge of the bed. 

The hard thud with which Fallon hit the floor was just enough to jolt her back into reality. She blinked a few times, breathing still heavy as she became more aware of her surroundings. Liam scrambled over the bed, landing ungraciously on the floor next to her but this time not daring to touch her. 

“Liam?” Her voice wavered slightly as her eyes sought out his, swimming with confusion and something akin to fear. Liam gently took her hand.   
“I’m here Fal”  
Realisation crashed over Fallon in waves and she grasped Liam’s hand tight.  
“Oh god, it was just a dream” her relief was palpable, but it wasn’t enough to still the shaking. Regardless, Liam didn’t wait another second before drawing her into his embrace which Fallon leaned into immediately, practically clinging to him as he held her close.   
“What happened?” Liam’s voice was soft, but he couldn’t stop the concern bleeding through. Fallon shook her head, still buried in Liam’s chest and he was taken aback as he felt moisture where her eyes were pressed close to his skin. Liam felt his insides go cold; what could be so bad that Fallon would cry?

He tightened his grip around her, skin pressing tightly against skin but there was nothing remotely suggestive about the gesture. Fallon’s hands were crushed between them, but he felt her move to grip his upper arm, holding it as though she were expecting him to disappear in-front of her. Liam rocked them gently, wanting desperately to give her the comfort she was so obviously craving. 

“It’s okay Fal, whatever you dreamt, it wasn’t real.”  
He felt rather than saw her wince, but he continued to hold her, taking his spare hand to run up and down her back and pressing a kiss into her hair. They stayed like that until Liam was satisfied that Fallon’s breathing had returned to normal, although she showed no sign of wanting to move from his arms. Gently Liam shifted them so he could meet her eyes and he gently suggested they get dressed, noting the raised flesh on Fallon’s arms had not disappeared and the earlier fire had long since been reduced to embers. When Fallon didn’t so much as twitch, he gently moved them, guiding Fallon up and onto the side of the bed. He drew back to get a proper look at his girlfriend and his concern grew. Her face was far paler than it should be, her eyes glassy and struggling to focus; she looked like she was lost in her own little world. He was certain she was skinner than he remembered, and Liam immediately felt guilty for only noticing now and not earlier, too distracted by their reunion. 

Liam shook himself out of his thoughts, well aware he was starting to stare although Fallon was so distracted, she hadn’t noticed. He padded over to the large dresser and pulled out the draws one by one on his search for Fallon’s comfiest night clothes. While she had an array of glamourous and some downright alluring negligées that were all comfortable enough to sleep in, Liam knew she had silk pyjama sets among others within the seemingly endless depths of the draws. 

On his third attempt, Liam finally discovered what he had been searching for and gave the turquoise silk a tug, only to be surprised when it wouldn’t budge. Realising it had become caught on the wheel track, he carefully slipped a hand in to untangle it without ripping the delicate fabric. It was only as he managed to work it free, he felt something else, something that was definitely not silk. Curious, he pulled the strange fabric out only to stand and stare at it in surprise as he held his old college jumper. He had a vague memory of wearing it one morning around the manor but nothing further. He hadn’t even noticed it was missing in the last few weeks nor when Fallon returned his box of things. Fallon had kept it on purpose? 

He turned back to the bed, surprised to see Fallon looking at the jumper in his hands, her face twisted in mild anguish. He crossed the room back to her, but Fallon’s eyes remained fixed on the jumper. 

“Fal?”  
“It stopped smelling like you a few weeks ago.” Her voice caught as she spoke, eyes still transfixed on the grey fabric with the peeling letters.   
“I, uh, I wore it while you were in hospital, just in the evenings.”

Liam swore he could feel his heart breaking as a physical pain laced across his chest. He couldn’t remember Fallon ever being this vulnerable, amnesia aside; not even when she’d told him about Trixie. Maybe it was the intimate setting, the lack of barriers between them or just the fact that Fallon had woken from what was clearly a disturbing nightmare, but something had changed between them. He bunched the jumper up and motioned for Fallon to raise her arms. He slipped it over her head and down her body, pausing after he was finished simply to hold her hands. 

“Well I think you need it more than me, but I’ll replace it in the morning with something better.” He helped her into the silk pyjama bottoms and set about looking for his own nightclothes. As much as sleeping in the nude was something both he and Fallon were fans of, he was now too cold for it not to be a distraction. He dug through the bag he’d hastily thrown together earlier that day when he’d rushed to the manor, it seemed like a million years ago now. He hadn’t assumed that he was going to spend the night, he had half been expecting to check into a hotel, but he had always been the type to prepare for every eventuality. Besides, he didn’t think he could stay under the same roof as his mother for one moment longer.

A quiet clink bought him out of his reverie. He looked over and frowned as he saw Fallon pouring an amber liquid into a crystal tumbler. He quietly walked across the room and gently took the glass from her hand as she moved in for a second sip. She didn’t protest beyond a look that was more lost than it was anger. He drew her close, letting her bury her head against his chest as his arms encircled her waist. 

“Not tonight Fallon.”

He hated to think how many times she might have turned to her vice in the weeks they’d been apart. He glared at the glass he’d just placed down on the stand, as though it were accountable for all of the issues currently surrounding them. 

“Come on, let’s go to bed.”

He waited until they were settled back under the covers before speaking again, wanting to get to the bottom of Fallon’s nightmare as she was clearly still completely rattled by it. She was laying tense against him, one hand fiddling with the too long cuff of his jumper.

“Are you going to tell me what you were dreaming about?”  
“Does it matter?” Fallon attempted to brush him off, in no mood to revisit the hell she’d only just escaped.   
“Yes, talking about it might help Fallon.”  
“I don’t see why.” 

Liam fought back a sigh, well aware Fallon was only trying to distract him, to divert him from his goal. He tried a different approach. 

“Whatever you were dreaming about Fallon, it wasn’t real.” The warmth in Liam’s tone and gentle reassurance should have calmed Fallon, but instead it did the opposite.   
“That’s just the thing though” Her voice was barely above a whisper “It wasn’t a dream, it did happen.”  
Liam waited a beat, his heart sinking as he had a feeling, he now knew what had haunted her sleep.   
“What did?”  
“You, dying.”  
“Fallon I’m right here.”  
“But I was right there when they were forcing air back into your lungs, when your ribs nearly broke as they tried to restart your heart.”

Liam felt his mouth go dry. His mother had been light on the details surrounding the accident, he hadn’t really questioned it as the time as she hadn’t exactly been there when it happened. He never thought about when Fallon had found out, about how she found out.

“They’d just pulled Trixie’s body from the lake, Blake and Crystal were in the middle of getting married, it was all so chaotic but then there was yelling.” Despite the fact she hadn’t wanted to talk about it, now she had started Fallon didn’t think she could stop. 

“No one really paid it any notice, there was too much going on but after they pulled the second body out, Sam pointed out the EMTs.” She chuckled but it was devoid of any trace of humour. “I wasn’t even going to go up until Sam asked where you were, even then I didn’t think it could be anything to do with you.”

She swiped furiously at a lone tear as it started to track down her face. Liam pulled her closer, wanting to let her finish the story but at the same time unsure if he could bare listening to the rest of it. 

“By the time I got there they’d been working on you for a few minutes, they wouldn’t let me near you.” She could remember with a vivid clarity Liam’s lifeless face as the EMTs performed CPR, the way his body jerked awkwardly with every chest compression. She could remember Sam holding her back as she screamed his name, unable to absorb what was happening in-front of her. She could remember the brief relief as he was revived followed by an equally swift return to terror as he didn’t wake up. 

“You were dead Liam, I lost you for real, and sometimes it’s all I can see when I close my eyes.” This time Fallon was helpless against the tears that began to fall in earnest. Liam felt his own eyes become moist as he struggled to come to terms with exactly what had been haunting Fallon, the woman he loved so much but who he had apparently forgotten so easily. He brushed her tears with his thumb before using a gentle finger to tilt her chin up to meet his eyes. 

“I can’t imagine how hard that must have been for you.” The truth was Liam couldn’t bear to imagine the situation had it been reversed, if he had been the one to watch Fallon teeter on the brink between life and death.   
“But I promise I’m here now, it’s all over.” Fallon let out a long breath, tightening her hold on him.  
“It doesn’t feel like it. How much more are we going to have to go through?”

Liam stopped short of the reassurances that were on the tip of his tongue. He wanted to tell her that everything was going to be fine, that they had made it through all the universe had to throw at them, but he realised that the promise would be an empty one. As it was, every time they overcame something, he would think that would be the last of it, that nothing else could possibly be in their way; but there was always something else. 

Fallon understood his silence. This time she had been so close to losing him forever, too close. Of all the barriers they’d overcome so far, this was the one that had shattered the illusion that their happily ever after was the inevitable endgame. As she looked into his eyes, she saw a desperation that she was sure she was mirroring, staring back at her. She strained her head up to meet his as Liam lowered his own, a gesture so intuitive it was as though they were in each other’s heads. Fallon closed her eyes and gave way to the assault on her senses as they poured all the love and desperation into the kiss. Liam’s hand came up to tangle in her hair and she kissed him harder, hoping that somehow, they would be allowed to stay in the moment forever. 

As the need for air finally forced them apart, Fallon kept her eyes shut still trying to will away the remnants of her earlier nightmare that was threatening to reappear. Liam slid them further under the covers and repositioned Fallon so she was tucked even closer to him in one swift move. He couldn’t bear to release his hold on her, the irrational fear that this might all be a dream for him and he would soon wake with no memory again suddenly plaguing him.

Fallon curled her head onto his chest and rearranged her arms, detaching one of his hands from her waist only to take it in hers. She grasped it gently, giving it a squeeze as much for his comfort as for hers. Liam squeezed back, forcing some of the tension from his body as he allowed himself to relish the warmth spread from hers. 

“I really missed you, Liam.” Her voice was almost indistinguishable against the quietly crackling embers of the fire but Liam heard it, as he had always heard her.   
“I love you Fal, I always will, no matter what.”  
“No matter what.”

**Author's Note:**

> Well, I tried to do angst with a happy ending and this happened. I thought the episode could do with some fleshing out as while the ending was lovely, it kind of missed the emotional fallout side. I hope you enjoyed reading - all feedback welcome :)


End file.
